Di Francesco Jokes Lecce Victory Was a ‘Cardiac Stress Test’ Ahead of Serie A Decider

Lecce coach Eusebio Di Francesco light-heartedly remarked that his team's thrilling 3-2 victory against Sassuolo was "less a match, more of a cardiac stress test" following a dramatic 96th-minute winner. The crucial Serie A fixture, played on May 17, 2026, saw Lecce secure three vital points that keep their fate in their own hands ahead of the final matchday in the battle to avoid relegation.

The Salentini entered the penultimate round of the season just one point clear of the relegation zone, a margin that remained unchanged despite Cremonese's 1-0 away win against Udinese. Lecce's late heroics were necessary to match that result and prevent them from dropping into the bottom three.

Late Drama in Sassuolo

The match itself was a rollercoaster of emotions. Walid Cheddira scored a brace, putting Lecce 2-1 up, only for Andrea Pinamonti to level for Sassuolo with a back-heel flick. The decisive goal came deep into stoppage time when Nikola Stulic fired in the winner, sparking jubilant celebrations and some touchline tension.

Di Francesco recounted the intensity of the moment to Sky Sport Italia, stating, "If I didn’t get a heart attack tonight… I think this was less a match, more of a cardiac stress test, and evidently I passed." He also addressed a brief confrontation with Sassuolo coach Fabio Grosso, dismissing it by saying, "I heard some talk about respect, but come on, let’s not be silly."

Key Facts

Praise for Crucial Performances

Di Francesco singled out key players for their contributions, particularly Walid Cheddira and Nikola Stulic. "Cheddira has always given his heart and soul on the pitch, he’s looked really bright recently," he noted. He added, "I was convinced that he and Stulic could give us a hand at the crucial moment, and I only told my director this week that Stulic was the one who would take us to the objective."

This victory marked the first time all season that Lecce had managed to score three goals in a single game, a significant achievement given their struggle for goals. Di Francesco acknowledged this, stating, "The team always created dangerous situations, but we were lacking something in the final ball. I only knew one road forward, which was to work in training and try to replicate that in the match situation."

Defensive Concerns and Final Match

Despite the crucial win, Di Francesco admitted that his side's defensive performance was not optimal. "On the other hand, we didn’t defend as well as we could this evening and Sassuolo had a lot of scoring opportunities, so we lost our balance," he conceded.

Lecce's survival in Serie A is still not guaranteed, but the win against Sassuolo means their destiny is in their own hands. They will face Genoa at the Stadio Via del Mare in their final match of the season. A victory against Genoa would secure their Serie A status for another season and consequently send Cremonese, who feature Jamie Vardy, down to Serie B.

Di Francesco praised his team's season-long effort, emphasizing values he believes are often overlooked. "This team worked for a whole season with order and discipline, two great virtues. There might be sides who have more quality, just look at Sassuolo for example, but we did well." The upcoming match against Genoa will be the ultimate test of that order and discipline.

Fuente: Football Italia RSS, https://football-italia.net/di-francesco-lecce-victory-cardiac-stress-test/